


Steady Me Now (You Are My Anchor)

by scarlettletterr



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire (Teen Wolf), Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Based on a Skillet Song, Cora Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Declarations Of Love, Happy Ending, M/M, Musician Derek Hale, Oblivious, Rock Star Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski Knows About Werewolves, Stiles Stilinski is Derek Hale's Anchor, Stiles Stilinski is Part of the Pack, The Hale Pack - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21853531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarlettletterr/pseuds/scarlettletterr
Summary: Cora had thrusted the VIP pass in his face the second he walked into the cafe and Stiles hadn’t been able to say anything other than "Yes, Cora, I’ll be there."AU where Stiles and Cora have been friends since they were in diapers, the Hales are alive and Laura, Derek, Erica, Boyd and Isaac are in a rock band, the Hale fire never happened (but Jackson was still a kanima), and Stiles is in love with the grumpy and gorgeous sourwolf of a bassist of "Alphas".
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 14
Kudos: 406





	Steady Me Now (You Are My Anchor)

**Author's Note:**

> I went to a Skillet concert a couple of days ago and they played 'Anchor', and I realized that this was literally a song Derek Hale wrote about Stiles Stilinski. That's about it.
> 
> [Click here to listen to the song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TzB4FaPODc)
> 
> [Come say hi on tumblr, @pfudorqueen ](https://pfudorqueen.tumblr.com/)

Cora had thrusted the VIP pass in his face the second he walked into the cafe and Stiles hadn’t been able to say anything other than "Yes, Cora, I’ll be there."

It’s not like it was a hardship to come see _Alphas_ perform, especially with VIP passes which gave him access to the best spots in the crowd and backstage. Besides, he had grown accustomed to Cora’s … rough ways.

Cora Hale was the owner of _Wolf’s Den_, the greatest bakery in the entire world (though Stiles might be a bit biased) where his dad was absolutely NOT allowed, ever. She was the youngest of the Hale siblings and had been Stiles’ friends ever since he allowed her to use the green crayon in kindergarten. 

Laura and Derek, her two older siblings, were rockstars. Literally. Well… They weren’t The Stones nor Nirvana, but "Alphas" was a pretty well known rock band amongst fans of the genre and they had been touring the United States with Erica, Boyd and Isaac since they were 18. They’d even done a couple of international tours. Stiles was trying very hard not to fangirl over them too much - especially since he had been their very first fan -.

"You HAVE to be there tonight, okay?" Cora had said. 

Stiles had been half tempted to tell her he already had plans - he didn’t, but she didn’t need to know that - but something about her expression had convinced him to stay serious.

"Yes, Cora, I’ll be there." Famous last words.

Cora had smiled then, as if Stiles had said something funny, before kicking him out of her shop. 

"And you better look good!" she’d thrown after him.

And here was Stiles, wearing the tightest pair of jeans he owned, the ones that made even Jackson look at his ass, a red shirt and his beat up Converses. He had been about to do his hair when Scott had called and when they’d finally hang up, Stiles was late.

He’d sneaked into the place just as the band was finishing their first song of the night, buying a beer before joining Cora in the audience, at the very front.

Stiles had often wondered if she ever felt left out. He’d even worked up the courage to ask her once, when they were both a bit drunk on Ms Hale’s aconite wine. 

"No," had been her immediate answer. "Sometimes I wonder if I _should_. They’re older than me, famous, and they share something I’ll never be able to understand. But…" She’d taken another swing of the wine before continuing. "But I don’t. I like music just fine, but I don’t think I’d want to be in a band. On the road as often as they are. I like being here. I don’t feel the need to go… elsewhere. I like the bakery. I like living near my parents. And you. We’re… we’re still pack. Even when I’m not there with them. Especially then."

Stiles didn’t know what to answer to that, so he just let the silence take over the moment.

"Besides, I _hate_ their tour bus. You have no idea how bad it smells to a werewolf nose!" They’d laugh, and laugh, and drunk some more wine before passing out, cuddling.

"You made an effort" low-whistled Cora when she saw him approaching. She was wearing black jeans, shirt and sneakers, her hair pulled in a pony tail, eyes darkened with makeup. She very much looked the part. 

"I do try," Stiles answered, wiggling his eyebrows before taking a sip of the beer. "Did they just perform Moonlight?"

‘Alphas’, ‘Moonlight’… It was a mystery how they’d managed to keep their secret all these years when they were as discreet as an elephant in a corridor. Maybe that was the key: hiding in plain sight.

"Yes they did. But you haven’t missed the most important part yet, don’t worry."

She seemed really excited, way more than she normally was. Stiles frowned, gave her a look that seemed to say "you know you can tell me if there’s something going on…", before shrugging it off and turning towards the stage, eyes falling on Derek.

Derek had always been a gorgeous human being - or, werewolf being would probably be more accurate - but here, there, on stage, soft purple and pink lights illuminating his face, he was magnificent. Stiles knew he wasn’t the only person in the room thinking that: Derek was rich, famous, gorgeous, and he could practically hear the girls - as well as boys, too - sighing looking at him from the audience. It always ended up irritating Stiles to no end.  
And Derek, bless his heart, was also a genuinely nice person, who cared about his fans. How many times had he stopped to sign autographs and take pictures while Stiles waited on the side, jealously looking at the girls hugging him and touching him and laughing with him and leaving their scent on his body.

But… Stiles had no right to be mad. Derek wasn’t his. Well. He was his friend. That was about the extent of it. And Stiles did cherish that friendship, he did, really. Even as he was head over heel for the grumpy, sarcastic asshole. Tough chance.

Time flew by. Stiles’ voice was raw from the singing and screaming, the way it always was after a concert from Alphas. The crowd was electrified, asking for another song, again, again.

"Thank you, thank you so much for coming out here tonight guys!" Laura screamed at the crowd. "You’ve been amazing, as always! No place like home, amiright?" Screams and ‘yeses’ filled the place, the way they always did. "We do have a surprise for you tonight though."

The lights dimmed a little and Laura fell back, just as Isaac’s fingers played a couple of notes on the piano. Derek walked up to the central mic.

"Hi Beacon." The crowd went wild. "I’m not usually one for singing… you know that’s more Laura’s forte," Derek smirked. "But this song means a lot to me. It’s a song I wrote a long time ago, and I feel… It’s finally time to do something about it." The crowd stayed quiet, aware of the solemnity of the moment. "This song is called _Anchor_."

The piano picked up, playing the same notes again, as the lights faded to a soft blue glow.

Derek’s voice, clear, soft, and gorgeous, rose above the piano. 

"Is that-" Stiles began asking, never taking his eyes off Derek.

"Shh!" Cora shushed him angrily, slapping his arm to keep it quiet. Werewolves…

Laura’s guitar and Erica’s drums joined Isaac’s piano. Derek fingers strummed his bass, eyes closed, singing with a sincerity and reverence Stiles had never… heard, before.

_You are my anchor…_

Stiles felt himself tearing up, tears clouding his vision, breath short. This was… This was different. Different from the songs they usually wrote, and sang. This was… This was softer. More personal. A… a_ love_ song.

Stiles felt his heart breaking in his chest, misery pouring out of him in waves that made Cora turn her head sharply toward him.

She grabbed his arm, squeezing firmly. 

"Listen" she whispered through her teeth, eyebrows furrowed, the smallest hint of gold in her eyes.

So Stiles listened.

_Wave after wave I’ve been sinking… So unto your promise I’m clinging…_

A flash of Derek, sinking softly into the high school’s pool where Stiles had been holding them up afloat for hours, trapped with a Kanima-shaped Jackson hissing at them from the surround, came before Stiles eyes. _"I’m getting too tired to keep going Derek… We need to call for help… But my phone is over there. I promise-" Derek’s eyes, honest, scared, but trusting. "I trust you. You’ll get me in time."_

Stiles heart was beating so fast he could hear the blood rushing into his ears. Boyd’s cello was echoing Derek’s words, plaintive lamentations going straight through the younger boy’s heart.

_Don’t let go…_

Derek’s eyes were open, finding Stiles’. To the rest of the audience, Derek might have seemed in total control of himself, radiating sensuality and hitting all the right notes in the right way, but Stiles could see the vulnerability in his eyes, hear the crack in his voice, see the dent in the microphone from his too-tight grip.  
Derek was afraid.  
Afraid of Stiles.  
Afraid of Stiles’ rejection, the human realized.

_I don’t wanna so this alone…_

Stiles smiled.  
Derek would never have to be alone.

_I know that I’ll drown on my own…_

_"I knew you’d never let me drown,"_ Derek had joked, sitting on the edge of the pool, a warm towel wrapped around his shoulders. He wasn’t even cold anymore. _"I knew you wouldn’t break your promise."_

Laura’s voice joined Derek through the last chorus, bringing Stiles’ back to reality. He was suddenly aware of Cora’s presence next to him, of Derek’s happy gaze focused on him, of Laura’s continued glances towards him.

He smiled again, mumbling an excuse to a laughing Cora before slipping out of the audience as the last notes resonated and the room exploded in cheers. The bouncer let him in after a glance at his VIP pass.

He had a hot werewolf to make out with.

And then talk to.

(years! they could have been doing it for _years_ !)


End file.
